


we're on each others team

by answerstobefound



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Implied/Referenced Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-30
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-04 02:17:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5316533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/answerstobefound/pseuds/answerstobefound
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the list of things related to their sister that Narcissa and Andromeda thought they'd have to deal with in life, Bellatrix not realizing she desperately needs their help is the least surprising. Modern AU.</p><p>A story of sisters, in three parts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Narcissa

**Author's Note:**

> this story will be told in three parts from three different POVs: Narcissa, Andromeda, and Bellatrix, in that order.
> 
> trigger warning for drug & alcohol abuse in this chapter.

“ _Cissyyyy,”_   Bellatrix whined. Narcissa was glad that they were talking on the phone, rather than in person, because it allowed Narcissa to roll her eyes at her sister's dramatics.  _“_ _Come_ on _, one night. One party. It's a small thing, I_ promise _, Cis, just come along. Get out of that tiny room.”_

“For your information,” Narcissa replied as she dodged a group of preteens on the semi-busy street, “my accommodations are not _tiny_ , they're… compact… and I do get out. Daily, in fact, because I actually attend my classes.” Under her breath, Narcissa added, “Unlike you, when you were at university.”

“ _I dunno what you just muttered, but I doubt_ _i_ _t was pleasant. So, you coming willingly or do I have to kidnap you?”_

“I wouldn't put it past you to actually kidnap me, so I'll come.” There was no arguing with Bella Black, especially when she wasn't sober, which she rarely was.

Bellatrix cheered. _“_ _Yes!_ _Wear whatever, no one cares about dress code. I'll pick you up at_ _te_ _n_ _tonight!”_ Bellatrix actually sounded excited, rather than her usual bored.

“Well, I don't want to look stupid. What are you going to wear?” Bellatrix had hung up by the time Narcissa finished her sentence. Narcissa huffed as she slipped her iPhone back into her purse.

 

* * *

 

_Andromeda Black, 6:38pm – Cissy r u kidding??? Bella's parties are worthy of a Tarantino film_

Narcissa Black, 6:38pm – Bella wouldn't bring me to anything dangerous

Narcissa Black, 6:39pm – Anything TOO dangerous

_Andromeda Black, 6:40pm – r u sure?? Bella's our sister n I love her but she's becoming more…_

Narcissa Black, 6:41pm – Unstable?

_Andromeda Black, 6:42pm – I wasn't going to say it but yes_

Narcissa Black, 6:43pm – We need to do something. She won't listen to only one of us

Narcissa Black, 6:52pm – Andy?

_Andromeda Black, 6:58pm – sry Cis, Ted was trying find a rhyme for orange_

_Andromeda Black, 6:59pm – he wouldn't accept that there are only slant rhymes_

_Andromeda Black, 6:59pm – he's going to an open mic night in a couple days n he wants a new song for it_

_Andromeda Black, 7:00pm – u don't particularly care do u_

Narcissa Black, 7:02pm – I do care, just not enough for you to keep telling me about it

_Andromeda Black, 7:03pm – thank u for ur honesty_

_Andromeda Black, 7:03pm – so u were saying something abt needing to do something? like an intervention for Bella??_

Narcissa Black, 7:05pm – Definitely. She's going to join the 27 club if she doesn't clean up

_Andromeda Black, 7:06pm – I think u could have worded that better, but u have a point_

Narcissa Black, 7:07pm – What? I got to the point, didn't I?

Narcissa Black, 7:07pm – We can deal with the intervention tomorrow. What should I do about tonight?!

Narcissa Black, 7:07pm – Andy

Narcissa Black, 7:07pm – I've been to 3 parties in my life, and 2 of them were parent supervised. The 3rd was Sirius's 14th birthday party when his parents got so drunk in the morning that they fell asleep before the party had officially begun

_Andromeda Black, 7:08pm – ah fond memories_

_Andromeda Black, 7:08pm – anyway_

_Andromeda Black, 7:08pm – don't drink any of the punch! don't let ur drink out of your sight at all, not even for a second, and don't talk to any of the death eaters unless they talk to u first. even then, keep it short and don't reveal any information abt urself_

_Andromeda Black, 7:08pm – do u know why they're called death eaters???_

Narcissa Black, 7:09pm – No, but I don't imagine it's pleasant

_Andromeda Black, 7:10pm – the drug cocktail they all take at their parties, they call it death bc it gets u so high u feel like you're dying. they drink it, but death drinkers didn't sound as cool I guess_

_Andromeda Black, 7:10pm – also ppl have died from it. like a lot of ppl_

Narcissa Black, 7:12pm – Holy shit

_Andromeda Black, 7:12pm – yeah_

Narcissa Black, 7:13pm – And Bella does this? KNOWING it can kill her?

_Andromeda Black, 7:13pm – anything for the high I guess_

Narcissa Black, 7:14pm – Jesus Christ

_Andromeda Black, 7:16pm – and another thing, keep ur phone on u at all times. anything happens and u feel uncomfortable or unsafe, call me or Ted and we'll come get u (and Bella) immediately_

Narcissa Black, 7:17pm – Thank you so much

_Andromeda Black, 7:17pm – anytime Cissy_

_Andromeda Black, 7:17pm – and ur welcome_

Narcissa Black, 7:19pm – One more thing: I think Lucius hangs around with the Death Eaters

_Andromeda Black, 7:19pm – Lucius as in that boy you like?? the one who sometimes ignores you and sometimes worships you???_

Narcissa Black, 7:20pm – That's the one

Narcissa Black, 7:20pm – And, for your information, he doesn't worship me. He likes me. I think

_Andromeda Black, 7:21pm – well tonight you're going to find out if he really is a death eater_

_Andromeda Black, 7:22pm – if he is, then you'll have someone there that you know_

_Andromeda Black, 7:22pm – and if he is, I suggest cutting off contact after tonight_

Narcissa Black, 7:23pm – Clearly

Narcissa Black, 7:26pm – Okay, before I start getting ready for Bella's party, I need to work on a paper for a bit, so I'm gonna go

Narcissa Black, 7:26pm – Oh, but before I go, what should I wear?

_Andromeda Black, 7:27pm – black probably, if u want to fit in_

_Andromeda Black, 7:27pm – do u even own any black clothing or is everything in ur closet pale tones and pastels_

Narcissa Black, 7:28pm – Yes, shut up

Narcissa Black, 7:28pm – I do occasionally need to dress up for black tie events FYI

_Andromeda Black, 7:28pm – ok go work on ur homework, relax a bit_

Narcissa Black, 7:29pm – I'm relaxing as much as I can, knowing that I'm going into what is basically an opium den or some shit tonight

_Andromeda Black, 7:31pm – everything will be fine and u can call me if it isn't_

Narcissa Black, 7:32pm – Thank you, Andy

Narcissa Black, 7:32pm – I love you

_Andromeda Black, 7:33pm – love you too Cissy_

 

* * *

 

Narcissa examined herself in the mirror on the inside of her closet door. She wore a tight, black, sleeveless crop top with a neckline that just barely revealed her collarbones, a pair of dark, high-waist jean shorts she'd had to borrow from the girl across the hall, sheer black tights, and her white Adidas Superstars. If she had to make a quick escape for some reason, Narcissa wanted the correct footwear.

Bellatrix let herself into Narcissa's dormitory without knocking and immediately fell back onto Narcissa's bed, rumpling the sheets.

Narcissa rolled her eyes and ignored her sister for a moment longer as she quickly applied a layer of light pink lip gloss. Finally, she turned to her eldest sister… who had put her grimy Doc Marten boots on Narcissa's bed. Narcissa picked Bellatrix's feet off of the bed, then grabbed her hands and pulled her to stand up. Bellatrix swayed for a moment, before righting herself.

Bellatrix moved out of her sister's reach and went to the mirror. She pulled the bottom of her grey, mid-thigh length,babydoll dress down slightly, then hooked a few loose strands of dark, curly hair back into her disheveled topknot. Her makeup seemed to have already been rubbed in every direction, like Bellatrix had been wearing it for multiple days and never bothered to wipe it off, only adding more as she needed.

Or maybe that's the style, who even knew anymore?

Bellatrix, following Narcissa's lead, applied a new layer of a thick, deep purple lipstick. After making sure her Cupid's bow was outlined adequately and there were no lipstick marks on her teeth, Bellatrix slipped the lipstick into her purse, very nearly slammed the closet door, and turned back to Narcissa. Yet again, she swayed for a moment before leaning against the closet door and smiling at Narcissa in a decidedly cocky manner.

“Ready, Cis?” Bella asked. Not waiting for a reply, she turned and strode out the door.

“No,” Narcissa replied, half to herself. She shoved her cell phone into her right front pocket and her wallet into her left front pocket, then followed Bellatrix out the door, locking it behind her.

 

* * *

 

Once Narcissa and Bellatrix left the campus, the walk to the fancy building where the party was being held took about fifteen minutes, with Narcissa and Bellatrix walking briskly, which Narcissa found disconcerting. She didn't like the idea of a Death Eater– assuming that the flat they were going to belonged to a Death Eater and not, say, someone the Death Eaters had killed (or, ahem, made to _disappear_ )– living so close to her university.

The building was high-end, the kind of place that Narcissa's parents would approve of. Bellatrix linked her arm through Narcissa's and led her through the near-empty lobby. The boy at the front desk glanced at them briefly, then yawned and looked away. Narcissa yawned as well; Bellatrix pinched her, presumably to wake her up. Narcissa thought about shaking Bellatrix off, but she realized that she really wanted Bellatrix's emotional support and that Bella probably needed Narcissa's physical support, judging by how heavily she leaned on Narcissa.

They rode the elevator up to the top floor in silence. With Bellatrix pulling Narcissa, they stumbled out of the elevator together, recovering as they meandered down the hallway. Bellatrix muttered the numbers on each of the doors as they passed them. Music and the muffled roar of people talking sounded as if they came from every room on the floor; Narcissa asked Bellatrix about it.

“Oh, he rents the whole floor out,” Bella explained. “The penthouse is _his_ though, and only his _closest_ followers are allowed there.” She smiled proudly with the knowledge that she was a trusted follower. Narcissa frowned.

“Who is ' _he'_?” Narcissa inquired.

Bellatrix stopped and looked at Narcissa in the way the one generally looks at a child who has just asked a particularly ignorant question.

“Voldemort,” Bellatrix replied, offering no explanation. What a stupid-sounding alias that was, Narcissa thought, although she'd had enough French lessons in school to know that “mort” meant “death,” which only further worsened Narcissa's nerves.

Bellatrix gripped Narcissa's arm tighter when they came to the end of the hall and faced a burly blonde man who stood in front of the door to, presumably, Voldemort's suite.

Bellatrix leaned closer to Narcissa and whispered to her, “Don't say a thing,” then stood straight again.

“Amycus,” Bellatrix smiled falsely at the guard.

“Bellatrix,” Amycus replied in the same manner. He kept eye contact with Bellatrix and nodded at Narcissa. “Who's this?”

“My baby sister, Narcissa,” Bellatrix replied. “Doesn't talk much. You know how it is, anxiety's _in_ these days.” Bellatrix rolled her eyes with faux superiority, and Narcissa wondered how Bella had failed that drama class she'd taken in year eleven when she could act this well now.

Amycus chuckled and let his eyes rake over Narcissa. Narcissa suddenly found herself wishing she'd worn jeans. After a moment which seemed to stretch as Amycus's eyes made their way back up to Narcissa's face, Bellatrix and Narcissa were let into the suite, where the party seemed to be in full swing. Narcissa found herself holding in a coughing fit due to the smoke in the air, and she knew her face was flushing a vivid red against her pale skin.

Bellatrix extracted her arm from Narcissa's and turned to face the younger woman.

“You can't hang onto me all night,” Bellatrix said with a slight squint of her eyes. She began to slowly back away, leaving Narcissa in front of the now closed door. “Have a drink, talk to someone. I'm sure your precious Lucius is here somewhere.”

Narcissa felt lightheaded, what with the smoke in the air, which smelled of cigarettes and pot and something else entirely, and the confirmation that Lucius really did run with the Death Eaters. She sighed. This was all such a mess.

Narcissa saw someone in her peripheral vision, then felt a large hand on her shoulder. She turned her head and saw Lucius Malfoy, a tall boy with long, blonde hair who seemed to always been in the library during her days working there. She'd been on two rather informal dates with him, not enough to really call their relationship anything in particular, but he'd become distant lately, and it had made Narcissa confused.

Lucius held a small glass of red wine out to her. “You look nervous,” he said with a slight smile. His hair was french braided neatly, and Narcissa wondered if he had done it himself. He wore a black dress shirt, black jeans, and a pair of shiny black brogues. Narcissa thought he looked rather pretentious, as she normally saw him in tee shirts and blue jeans around campus.

After a moment, Narcissa scoffed and summoned all of the confidence she had in her. Her heart pounded. She took the glass from his hands. “When have you ever known _me_ to be nervous?” She rolled her eyes with a slight smile. “I just don't want to be here, honestly. I could be writing an essay, but _nooooo_ Bella just _had_ to pull me away and drag me along to,” Narcissa surveyed the room with superiority that wasn't entirely faked, “this mess.”

“You call this a mess?” Lucius asked curiously, with a tilt of his head.

“Well, what would you call it?”

“Hmm,” Lucius glanced around the room. “Not a mess, definitely not. This is all carefully… controlled, I would say.” He leaned towards Narcissa to whisper in her ear, “by You-Know-Who.”

“You-Know-Who? You mean Vol–”

Narcissa was silenced by Lucius's lips on hers. She let the soft kiss go on for a few seconds, then pushed him away lightly with the hand not holding her untasted wine. Narcissa was surprised her blush hadn't deepened, but no one in the room seemed to be paying all that much attention to them.

Lucius leaned close to her ear again. “He's always listening. Doesn't like it when we say his name. He'll know if you say it, and he'll approach you about it. You don't want that. Now laugh as if I've said something rather funny.”

Narcissa smiled, rolled her eyes, and laughed easily. “You take yourself too seriously, Lucius.”

Lucius smiled at her in return. “And you take few things seriously, or so I've found.”

Narcissa's eyes fell on Bella, taking a shot of something dark with a few boys at the bar.

“You'd be surprised,” she murmured finally, before taking a small sip of the wine. She made a face after swallowing.

“Did you bring me cheap shit, Malfoy?” Narcissa asked bluntly. She gave him a small smirk to let him know for certain that she was mostly teasing.

Lucius took the glass from her hands and tasted it himself. He gave no reaction. Nonetheless, he put the glass down on a nearby table and reached into one of his back pockets and produced a silver flask with his initials engraved in it. He took a swig of that, then handed it to Narcissa.

Without asking what was in it, Narcissa took another small sip. Her eyes watered and she grunted softly, then handed the flash back to him.

“Firewhiskey,” she said with a slightly hoarse voice. “ _Good_ stuff.”

Lucius looked at Narcissa curiously. “You've not had alcohol much.” It was a deduction, not a question.

“Not really, no. Champagne at weddings, wine at family gatherings, firewhiskey on a few occasions, but other than that,” Narcissa shook her head and shrugged.

Lucius tucked the flask back into his left back pocket. “As much as I think it would be _hilarious_ to see you drunk, we'll save that occasion for another night. Look after your sister, hm?” With that, Lucius pressed a kiss to Narcissa's forehead and walked away, disappearing deeper into the party and leaving Narcissa alone again.

Narcissa stood straight, awkwardly observing the numerous illegal activities taking place, for almost a minute, before she felt her phone vibrate in her right front pocket. She dug it out and found a text from Andromeda.

_Andromeda Black, 10:35pm – r u in the snake den??_

Narcissa Black, 10:35pm – Yes. And shouldn't it be the lion's den?

_Andromeda Black, 10:35pm – death eaters' symbol is a snake_

_Andromeda Black, 10:36pm – everything alright?_

Narcissa Black, 10:36pm – I saw Lucius, talked to him

_Andromeda Black, 10:36pm – so he's definitely w the death eaters_

Narcissa Black, 10:37pm – He kissed me

_Andromeda Black, 10:37pm – w h a t_

_Andromeda Black, 10:37pm – omggg cissy!! that's ur 1 st kiss isn't it??? omg_

Narcissa Black, 10:37pm – Yes, it is. Shut up. I can hear you screaming from here

_Andromeda Black, 10:38pm – brings me to my next pt, where r u?? is everything alright? what's bella doing?_

Narcissa Black, 10:39pm – I'm in the flat of the leader of the Death Eaters. Kind of terrifying. Not exactly sure of the address, track my location and find out please

Narcissa Black, 10:40pm – Bella's drunk, she showed up to my place already drunk. I think she was high when she called me earlier, she had a different pattern of speech than when she's drunk.

_Andromeda Black, 10:40pm – ok I have ur address_

_Andromeda Black, 10:40pm – do u want me to come get u? r u both safe??_

Narcissa Black, 10:41pm – I'm fine. IDK about Bella, but people seem to like her, so I figure she's safe as well

Narcissa Black, 10:41pm – Everyone's leaving me alone

Narcissa Black, 10:41pm – Don't know how long that will last though

_Andromeda Black, 10:42pm – Ted's w me and we'll come get u as soon as u tell us too_

Narcissa Black, 10:43pm – Thanks, I'll let you know

Narcissa tucked her phone back into her pocket and looked up at the party again. A few people looked at her out of the corner of their eyes. Narcissa decided that if she was to blend in in the snake's den, as Andromeda had called it, she needed to work harder.

Narcissa exhaled, then made her way over to the bar. She ordered a glass of the most expensive wine she saw and made sure to carefully watch the bartender as he opened a new bottle and filled the glass halfway. Narcissa took her glass when she was sure it hadn't been tampered with and sat at the far left end, next to a large window overlooking the street below.

Narcissa turned away from the bright lights of the cars passing by on the street in favor of watching the party. She felt more bored at this party than she did when she had a substitute teacher for her literature classes. She put her elbow on the bar, rested her cheek on her fist, and huffed. She then took a small sip of her wine. This was going to be a long night. And where had Bellatrix gone?

Narcissa pulled her phone out, scrolled through the newly posted pictures on Instagram for almost a minute, then looked around for Bellatrix again. Still no sign of her. A few people Narcissa had noticed Bellatrix hanging around were missing as well. Narcissa drafted a text to Andromeda and stared at it for a moment, trying to decide whether to send it or whether she was just being paranoid. She impulsively pressed send, took a longer sip of wine, and waited. She waved the bartender away when he came to refill her glass.

Narcissa Black, 10:49pm – Bella's disappeared, not sure where she's gone. Could be into the back of the flat. I don't think she's left.

_Andromeda Black, 10:50pm – what's ur plan?_

Narcissa Black, 10:51pm – Find her? IDK

_Andromeda Black, 10:51pm – want me to come now?_

Lucius suddenly appeared beside Narcissa and pressed a firm hand to her back, sliding her off the chair she sat on.

“Hello again,” Narcissa smiled slightly. She shoved her phone back into her pocket and abandoned her wine glass.

Lucius wrapped an arm around Narcissa's waist and led her through the crowd of people towards the back hallway. He bent towards her ear.

“Don't react,” he muttered. “Something's happened to Bellatrix.”

Narcissa's heart pounded in her ears. Were it not for Lucius's arm around her waist, she would have needed to sit down.

She and Lucius broke through the thick crowd of people and into the wide hallway. Few people loitered around, and those who did loiter seemed to be so high that they probably had no clue what they were even doing there. Lucius took his arm from around Narcissa's waist in favor of walking in front of her and leading her down the hallway by her right hand.

Narcissa felt her phone vibrate angrily every few seconds in her pocket. Andromeda was probably having a heart attack. She might actually be on her way, Narcissa realized. The hallway was long, and Narcissa pulled her phone out.

_Andromeda Black, 10:51pm – cissy_

_Andromeda Black, 10:51pm – narcissa_

_Andromeda Black, 10:51pm – n a r c i s s a_

_Andromeda Black, 10:51pm – Narcissa Cassiopeia Black I swear to jesus christ himself if u don't text back w/in the next 5 mins I will bust down the fucking door of that party_

_Andromeda Black, 10:52pm – IS BELLA OK_

_Andromeda Black, 10:52pm – R U OK_

_Andromeda Black, 10:52pm – CISSY PLEASE_

_Ted Tonks, 10:53pm – Narcissa, Andy is abt to have a panic attack, pls text back as soon as you see this_

Narcissa typed a quick reply to Ted.

Narcissa Black, 10:53pm – Get ready, I'll tell you when to come

_Ted Tonks, 10:53pm – Be careful and stay safe_

Narcissa absentmindedly thought that it was sweet that he cared, but she wouldn't let him know that she thought that.

Lucius opened the last door on the right side of the hall and five darkly dressed people rushed out of the room. Narcissa didn't catch their faces before Lucius had pushed her into the room.

The room was grandly decorated, though unused– it was likely a guest's room– and Bellatrix laid limp on the king-sized bed in the center of the room. All breath rushed out of Narcissa's lungs. She rushed to her sister. The floor was littered with crushed pills, used plastic cups, and various bottles of alcohol– some empty, some with liquid still seeping into the dark green carpet. Narcissa kicked everything in her way aside.

She carefully climbed onto the bed and knelt beside Bella. Lucius stood on the other side of the bed, leaning towards Bella. He pressed his fingers to the pulse point on her neck, then bent over her so that her partially open mouth almost touched his cheek.

“Shallow breathing, erratic heartbeat.” Lucius looked up at Narcissa. “She was still conscious when I left her, I promise you that. She told me to get you.”

Narcissa nodded once in response. Looking down at Bella, she briefly assessed her eldest sister's state, also taking the time to steady her own breathing.

Bella was normally quite pale, but now she looked sickly.Her lipstick had been smeared away, revealing lips with a slight blue tinge.

A harsh sob wracked Narcissa's body before she forced it back down. This was not the time to panic.

She pulled out her cell phone and sent a quick text to Andy and Ted.

Narcissa Black, 10:55pm – SOS

“What did she take?” Narcissa asked clinically as she dialed Andy's number.

“Death,” Lucius replied, eerily calm. Narcissa supposed he must have seen drug overdoses before. She wondered if he had tried to help the people overdosing, as he was doing now, or if he hadn't gotten involved. Lucius started to explain what 'Death' was, but Narcissa held up a hand to silence him.

“I know what it is. Drug cocktail, extreme high, may cause death.”

“She's had a lot of vodka as well,” Lucius added. “Probably firewhiskey too, though I can't be sure.”

The call connected.

“ _Cis, what's going on?”_ Andy's voice was tense and higher pitched than normal.

“Bella's overdosing,” Narcissa reported. “I'm worried that if I call an ambulance, carnage will break out. I'm willing to wager that a lot of people here are armed.”

_"Ted and I are close. We've run three red lights and are going so far over the speed limit that we're likely to gain prison sentences if caught, so just hang on. Is she breathing?”_

“Shallowly, but yes.” Narcissa vaguely registered Lucius forcing Bella's eyes open to shine his phone's flashlight at them.

Narcissa heard Ted request the phone, then a bit of movement as Andromeda handed the phone to him.

“ _Can you possibly get Bellatrix outside by the time we get there? It'll save a bit of time than if we came upstairs to meet you.”_

Ted spoke loudly enough that Lucius heard. He put his phone away and, without much trouble, hoisted Bellatrix over his right shoulder. Her dress was short enough to reveal her underwear, but luckily she had on a pair of spandex shorts under her dress. Not that Bella would have particularly cared but– still.

“Yes, we can meet you outside,” Narcissa confirmed after receiving a quick nod from Lucius.

“ _Excellent. See you very soon.”_

Narcissa hung up and led the way out of the room. On the floor by the door, she saw Bella's heavily cracked iPhone. Narcissa pocketed it, then continued out the door.

The main room of the flat was more crowded than when Narcissa had left it, but everyone parted for her. Perhaps they saw Lucius carrying an unconscious Bellatrix and let them through for that reason, or perhaps they saw Narcissa's unadulterated rage and realized that she would not hesitate to shove people out of the way. Narcissa didn't particularly care for the reason, only that they were out the door quickly.

Amycus cackled as Narcissa strode by. “Hope you enjoyed your stay!” Amycus called out. Narcissa flipped him off and continued on.


	2. Andromeda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo this is so late i'm rlly sorry!! i meant to have it up over the weekend but i had So Much homework from like saturday until last night (tip: don't take AP classes unless you have the time to devote your soul and sleep cycle to it)

Andromeda's hands shook as they sped towards the hotel. Her eyes were wide and unfocused, staring straight ahead. She was glad Ted was driving and not her. She couldn't concentrate, and her thoughts were going faster than she could handle.

“I want to hate Bella sometimes,” she said quietly.

Ted's eyes briefly flicked over to her. He took his left hand off the steering wheel to lay it over Andromeda's right arm.

“I don't like thinking that, but I think it anyway,” Andy continued. “I want to hate her. She's been trouble for years. She's unpredictable and mean. Apathetic. She's completely fucking talented, and she doesn't use her talent. You've seen her artwork!” Andromeda threw her hands in the air and looked over at Ted. He ran his hand up from her arm to her shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. Andromeda put her hands between her thighs and took a deep breath.

“She doesn't care about anything anymore. She used to care about me. Now she only cares about whatever will get her the next high… And Cissy. She cares about Narcissa, I'll give her that.” Andromeda scoffed.

“I didn't want to hate her when we were younger. When she used her talent and was mean to other people but never to me and Cis.”

Ted slid his hand from her shoulder to the back of her neck. His thumb moved back and forth in soft, soothing strokes.

“Am I a bad sister for thinking that?” Andy asked quietly, looking down at her legs.

“No,” Ted replied immediately. “You're human, 'Dromeda.” Ted's use of the nickname helped to calm Andromeda. She loved it when Ted called her that, because she was Andy to everyone else.

Ted leaned forward suddenly and took his hand from the back of Andromeda's neck. “We're here.”

Andromeda looked up quickly. She saw Narcissa immediately, her pale blonde hair shining under the light of the street lamps and neon signs around. Then, Andromeda saw a tall, well-dressed man with similarly blonde hair standing next to her. Between them, they held Bellatrix up, though most of Bella's weight was on the man. As they approached, Andy realized that the man was Lucius Malfoy– Narcissa had shown Andy a picture of him a few days prior.

Ted pulled the car directly in front of Narcissa and Lucius. Andromeda's stomach lurched at the sight of her older sister, limp in the arms of Narcissa and Lucius.

“Don't get out,” Narcissa softly ordered when Andy opened the car door. “We've got her.”

As Lucius picked Bellatrix up, Narcissa climbed into the backseat of Ted's car. Lucius then carefully deposited Bella in the back with Narcissa, placing her head in Narcissa's lap. Lucius stepped back.

Narcissa thanked him, and he nodded to her before shutting the car door, allowing Ted to speed off towards the nearest hospital, which was fortunately close.

Andromeda turned around in her seat to face Narcissa.

“What the hell happened?” Andy quietly asked as she watched Narcissa stroke Bella's hair absentmindedly.

Narcissa stared out the window as opposed to meeting Andromeda's eyes.

“I should have kept a better eye on her,” Narcissa replied. “I let her wander off and–” Narcissa stopped when her voice caught. She sniffed. Andromeda could tell that Narcissa was holding her breath to calm her quickening heartbeat.

After a moment of silence, Andromeda said Narcissa's name to get her attention. Narcissa finally met Andromeda's eyes, and Andromeda sighed when she saw the tears beginning to run down Narcissa's cheeks and drop onto her shirt. She reached back to take one of Narcissa's hands in her own.

“She was already drunk when she picked me up,” Narcissa explained. Her voice broke often, but she wasn't speaking quickly in the way that signaled an oncoming panic attack. “Stumbling drunk, but not slurring her speech or anything. She drank a lot more once we got to the party, but we weren't there that long. We arrived around 10:20, and I found her about half an hour later. She took Death. That's what Lucius said. I trust his word.”

Everyone in the car lurched when Ted made a sharp turn. Andromeda saw the bright lights of A&E looming in the distance, and she unbuckled in preparation for jumping out and carrying Bellatrix into the hospital. Not that she really needed to prepare too much to lift her older sister, who barely weighed eight stone, but it would still need a considerable effort.

“If you two can take Bellatrix,” Ted said, “I'll park and come find you once you're inside. I don't know much of what happened tonight, so I'd just be in the way.”

Andromeda made an affirmative noise, not trusting herself to speak.

Ted pulled into the empty A&E entrance, and Andromeda jumped out as soon as the car had stopped fully. She immediately yanked the back door open and dragged Bella forward by her ankles, getting her halfway out of the car. Narcissa pushed Bellatrix upwards by her shoulders so that Andromeda could wrap her arms around Bellatrix's torso to hold her up. Narcissa jumped out of the car, slammed the door, and Ted sped off.

Andromeda lifted Bellatrix by her underarms. Narcissa wrapped her arms around Bellatrix's thighs, just above her knees, and led the way into A&E. It was busy, unsurprisingly, but not so much that they didn't attract attention.

A young doctor quickly met the Black sisters with a gurney and helped them place Bellatrix onto it. The doctor wheeled Bellatrix into a workspace between two curtains while asking what had happened. Another doctor joined the first and began checking Bellatrix's eyes with a light.

“She's overdosed on drugs and alcohol,” Narcissa reported quickly, standing a few feet from the foot of Bellatrix's hospital bed. “She's had vodka and firewhiskey, and a drug cocktail. I don't know what was in the cocktail, but they call it Death.” The doctors seemed to recognize the name, as they briefly exchanged dark looks.

Andromeda felt a stress headache forming and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She could feel tears coming to her eyes as well. What a mess this was.

Narcissa continued when prompted by one of the doctors. “She's twenty-two years old. She's been abusing drugs and alcohol heavily for the past two years; smoking cigarettes since she was seventeen. No allergies to any medication; no previous hospitalizations. Her name's Bellatrix Black.”

A nurse came and herded Narcissa and Andromeda into chairs away far away from Bellatrix.

Andromeda _really_ wanted to be sick. And cry. And fall into a nice, comforting coma. And to add insult to injury, she could feel a panic attack coming on.

“Fuck,” she exhaled. Narcissa turned to look at her and immediately wrapped her arms around Andy to hug her tightly. With the arm rest between them, the embrace was slightly awkward, but still comforting to Andromeda. As she began the breathing exercises she often used to calm down, Ted burst into A&E and jogged over to the two sisters.

Mindful of the slight dizziness her panic had brought on, Andy stood to greet him and pulled Narcissa up with her. Narcissa let her arms fall to her sides as Andromeda wrapped her arms around Ted's neck. He, in turn, squeezed her waist, almost lifting her off the ground in the process. Andromeda felt her tears soaking into Ted's shirt, but couldn't bring herself to care all that much.

Once she was calmer, and her tears had slowed, Andromeda pulled away from Ted and sat back down. Ted sat next to her. Andy put her head in her hands and exhaled through her teeth. She waited a moment before inhaling, then leaned back in her seat and looked up again.

Andromeda heard Narcissa inhale sharply, her tell-tale sign that she was trying to stop herself from crying. Andromeda rubbed her sister's back and tucked a stray strand of sleek hair behind her ear. Out of the corner of her eye, Andy saw Ted stand. He walked towards Narcissa with small steps, pulled her up by her hands, and gave her a firm hug. Andy waited for Narcissa to awkwardly extract herself from the embrace and was quite surprised when Narcissa returned the hug with force. Narcissa shook with quiet tears, and Ted tightened his arms around torso.

When Narcissa finally pulled away and sat back down, she left a seat in between herself and Andromeda, which Ted took. He kept one arm around Narcissa's shoulders and the other around Andromeda's. Both sisters leaned into him.

 

* * *

 

Eventually, Andromeda fell into a restless sleep with Ted's arm around her. When she woke up, everything was as quiet as it could get in a hospital. Her neck and back ached terribly from her uncomfortable sleeping position, and her mouth tasted entirely foul. When Ted noticed she was awake, he kissed her forehead.

“Hi, darling,” he smiled tiredly.

Andromeda sat up and rubbed her eyes. She noticed that Narcissa was still asleep under Ted's right arm.

“What time is it?” Andromeda asked hoarsely.

“Almost three in the morning.”

Andromeda groaned quietly. “Is there news about Bella?”

Ted raked a hand through his hair. “She's in her own room now. She's not conscious yet, so I was going to let you and Narcissa sleep a while longer.”

Andromeda nodded. She turned in her seat to face Ted and pulled one of her legs up into the seat with her. “What did the doctor say?”

“They pumped her stomach, got the drugs and alcohol out of her system. She's not exactly breathing on her own yet, but the doctors say she should be soon, and she's unconscious. She'll be okay, 'Dromeda.”

Andromeda took a deep breath, put her head in her hands, and cried quiet tears of relief. She felt Ted's hands rake through her hair comfortingly. After a few minutes, Andromeda's tears slowed.

She wiped her eyes on her tee shirt, sniffed, cleared her throat, and sat up straight.

“We should go sit with her,” Andromeda decided, “so that we're with her when she wakes up.”

Ted nodded in agreement. He quickly woke Narcissa and told her what they were going to do. She nodded groggily, and the trio made their way to Bellatrix's room.

Bellatrix was still ghostly pale; Andromeda's stomach dropped at the sight. Her lips were cracked, and her thin torso rose and fell with every slow breath she took with the help of a ventilator.

Andromeda pulled a chair up to her older sister's side and took one of Bella's hands in both of her own. She sighed shakily and let her head drop to rest on Bella's arm. When she allowed her eyes to close, Andy felt sleep begin to take her again. With the knowledge the Bella was safer now, Andromeda slept soundly.

 


	3. Bellatrix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> late again!! i literally meant to update on monday for beane (aka pointlesspostits)'s birthday but i had Too Much Studying to do for exams. happy late bday beane ilysm <3
> 
> enjoy the last installment :)
> 
> [TW for descriptions of withdrawal]

**_SIX WEEKS LATER_ **

 

“ _Bella,”_ Narcissa near-whined. Bellatrix rolled her eyes. “ _You're two weeks out of rehab. Andy and I want to come over and celebrate!”_

“It's not a huge deal, Cissy,” Bellatrix replied, running a hand through her dark curls. Bella really did not feel like having her sisters over, knowing they'd make a huge deal about her going through rehab and not relapsing the minute she got out. They'd want to celebrate and Andy would probably bring a banner or a cake or something equally horrifying. Bella just wanted to turn on some Two Door Cinema Club, possibly order a pizza, and paint her way through the self-pity she had been wallowing in since leaving her rehab center in rural England. She'd go to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that night, maybe stay for the Narcotics Anonymous meeting afterwards, and she wouldn't leave her flat except for that.

“ _It_ is _a huge deal! Bella, this is a really big deal. We're proud of you. We_ love _you. We just want to be with you.”_

“Narcissa…”

“ _Bella, we almost lost you.”_

Bellatrix sighed.  That was the trump card.

“ _Please, Bellatrix? I'll make it up to you._ ”

“Fine. You're buying the food. I want pizza.”

“ _Yes! Excellent, I can do that. Oh, and Andy's bringing Sirius and Regulus, alright? Auntie dumped the boys on her for a week, almost caught Ted there too. He barely managed to hide from her. Anyway, since school let out, they've been driving Auntie insane._ ”

“Good. Their job is to drive the mad bitch up the wall. But _ugh._ I don't want to deal with teenage boys right now.” Bellatrix walked into her bedroom, towards her  dresser. If she was going to have company, she should probably put on trousers. And a bra. Ugh.

“ _Andy says that Sirius has spent the entire time talking to some boys from school, and Andy gave Regulus one of those Percy Jackson books that she still enjoys. The boys won't be a bother.”_

“Hmph. We'll see about that.” Bella put her phone on speaker and placed it on her dresser in order to pull on a pair of old jean shorts. They were more than slightly tight on her, as she'd gained weight since getting clean. Bellatrix unbuttoned the shorts, grabbed an elastic hair band, tied it to the button hole, then looped it around the button. After a moment, she unzipped the jeans ever so slightly and sighed. That felt much better.

B ellatrix pulled her crop top over her head  and threw it aside , struck with a desire for a shirt that covered her innovation to loosen her shorts.  She  pulled a sports bra over her head, then  pushed around various tee shirts in the top drawer as Narcissa asked what time would be best for everyone to come over.

“Depends,” Bellatrix replied, “what time is it now?”

“ _Mmm… ten past one.”_

“Come over now, I don't care. But order the pizza after you hang up, and give them my address. That way, it'll get here just after you arrive, and I'm fucking starving.”

“ _You had breakfast, right?”_ Narcissa's voice was the picture of concern. Bellatrix rolled her eyes again, but she did enjoy how much her sisters looked after her now.

“Yes, _Mum_. I made pancakes all by myself; didn't burn a single thing, thanks very much.”

“ _That's very surprising! I'm proud.”_

“Oh, fuck off.”

Narcissa laughed. “ _Alright, I'll text Andy when I hang up, and we'll see you very soon.”_

“Order the pizza before you text Andy.”

“ _You've got your priorities sorted.”_

Bellatrix only replied with a  “Hmph,”  as she was distracted by pulling her favorite old Arctic Monkeys shirt over her head.  The black tee shirt was incredibly faded and slightly too large on her, making it the perfect length to cover the button and half of the zipper of her shorts.

“ _I love you, Bella.”_

“Love you too, Cis.”

Bella  slipped her phone into her back pocket and decided to clean  her flat  up a bit before everyone arrived. Not that she cared what they thought of her living space, but she knew that Andromeda would only start cleaning up if Bellatrix herself didn't.

 

* * *

 

Narcissa arrived at 1:30pm;  four pizzas arrived five minutes later. Ten minutes after that,  Andy  and her bumbling boyfriend arrived with Bellatrix's young cousins, fourteen year old Sirius and thirteen year old Regulus, in tow.  Sirius piled four pieces of meat lovers pizza on a plate, declared that the kitchen was his territory, and promptly began Facetime-ing someone called “Prongs.”  Regulus took a piece of cheese pizza and sat  at the dining table, in the small space which wasn't taken up with Bellatrix's sketches, with a very worn copy of  _The Lightning Thief._

Andy, Narcissa, and Ted sat on the couch, with Ted in the middle, putting up with Andy and Narcissa both  laying their legs over his lap; Bellatrix sat on the  floor, grabbed  her phone to pull up Netflix and cast to the TV, then asked what everyone wanted to watch.

“How about an old episode of Orphan Black?” Andy suggested. “From season one, before everything went to shit.”

While munching on her fifth piece of veggie pizza,  B ellatrix pretended to choose an episode at random, but actually chose an episode she knew had a lot of Cosima and Delphine in it, and pressed play.  However, Bella didn't register  anything she watched , as her mind wandered towards the previous six weeks– almost two thirds of which were spent in rehab, a third out of rehab, and a small amount of time at the beginning in the hospital which had saved her life.

 

* * *

 

 

**_HOSPITAL, SIX WEEKS AGO_ **

 

Breathing ached, light ached, existing ached. Bellatrix wasn't quite sure what was happening, or where she was, or why two pairs of very warm hands encased each of her very cold ones. She groaned quietly.

Bella vaguely heard Andromeda whisper, “Cis, Ted, I think she's waking up again.”

One of Bella's hands was let go, and a soft, dainty hand– Narcissa's– pushed some of Bellatrix's curls back.

“Bella, can you hear me?” Narcissa asked.

Bella groaned an affirmative, eyes still shut. “Unfortunately,” she rasped, her throat raw. “Can I go back to sleep now?”

“No,” a low voice, Ted, answered. “I'll go let the nurse know she's up again.” His footsteps retreated out of the room. _Why the fuck is he even here?_ Bella thought.

“Again?” Bella asked.

“Yeah, you woke up about an hour ago, only for a moment,” Andromeda replied. “You don't remember?”

“No.” Bella paused. “Why am I here? What happened?”

“You don't remember last night?”

“Nah, I remember, I just like hearing recaps of shit I already know,” Bella snarked quietly. She heard Andromeda sigh, which was unusual. Where was the scoffing? Where were the scathing rebukes? What the fuck was going on? Bellatrix peeked her eyes open and was met with the pale, tearful faces of her younger sisters. Something was very wrong. And it probably had to do with the fact that Bella was lying in a hospital bed, full of wires and tubes.

Bellatrix started to worry. “Andy, what's going on?”

Andromeda opened her mouth to speak just as a stout young nurse bustled in, followed by Ted. Ted, Andromeda, and Narcissa retreated to the sofa in the corner as the nurse poked and prodded Bellatrix.

“How are you feeling, Miss Black?” she asked.

“Like I've been hit by a fucking train,” Bellatrix replied honestly. “And starved.”

The nurse chuckled quietly. “Not much I can do about the train part, but I'll get you some food. The doctor will be in soon to check on you.”

Bellatrix nodded in reply, and the nurse left after writing a few things in Bella's chart.

Everyone moved forward again– Andromeda sat on the bed by Bellatrix's hip, Narcissa sat in the chair by the bed, and Ted stood at the foot of the bed.

“What's the last thing you remember from yesterday?” Andromeda inquired.

“I dunno,” Bella shrugged. “Getting dressed in the afternoon? I think there was a party last night. Cissy, did I call you? I'd meant to call you.”

Narcissa nodded and took Bella's right hand again. “You called me and invited me to that party, the,” she lowered her voice and leaned forward, “Death Eater party.” She leaned back again and continued normally. “You came over to my place, already drunk. We went to You-Know-Who's flat, and you went off with some people. Not long after, Lucius Malfoy came to tell me that you had overdosed. I called Andy and Ted, and we brought you here.”

Bella's mind whirled. She'd overdosed. She was supposed to be smarter than that. She had everything under control. Why had she let herself overdose?

“Bellatrix?” Andromeda leaned forward, concerned.

Bellatrix shook her head as tears welled in her eyes. She shut her eyes tight and decided to solve her problems by going to sleep and hoping that she could wake up and still be in control of her life.

 

* * *

 

 

**_REHAB, FIVE AND A HALF WEEKS AGO_ **

 

Bellatrix lost the rehab battle, four to one. Four being her doctor, her sisters, and Ted; one being herself. Really, she could probably kick her habits herself, but no one believed her. Bellatrix didn't like to think about the fact that they were right, that she'd be back with Voldemort and his Death Eaters within a few hours– she preferred to think that she had more control than that.

Never mind the fact that Voldemort likely would never take her back now. She'd received the call to assemble not long after she'd woken up for a third time in the hospital, and Narcissa took one look at the skull emoji on her iPhone's screen, ripped the phone out of Bella's hands, and smashed it to bits with one of Andy's Docs.

( _“A skull emoji?” Narcissa had asked. “Really?”_

“ _It's nondescript,” Bella had replied, with an eye roll. She'd always thought it was rather stupid as well, but certainly not as idiotic as Goyle's idea to get skull tattoos and find a way to summon people by making the tattoos burn when they were called._

“ _It's asinine,_ _Bella_ _.”_

_Bella_ _trix_ _hadn't_ _argue_ _d_ _.)_

Her addiction rehabilitation building– St. Mungo's, an extension of the hospital she'd briefly recovered in– was beautiful and stately in the kind of way that reminded you of a home, made you feel safe, but all that Bella felt when she arrived was tired, as she was at the end of the most violent part of her withdrawal. The twitching and sweating that generally accompanied narcotic withdrawal had started midway through her first day in hospital and had reached its peak by the second morning. Bellatrix had spent the entire second and third days riding out the worst of the withdrawal, which mostly consisted of crying, screaming, threatening unmentionable things, and generally making an ass of herself.

By the time she had woken up after fitful sleep on the fourth and final morning in the hospital, Bella had been mostly tired. She still twitched and felt increasingly stiff, but the very worst was over. She ate terrible jello for breakfast and made surprisingly easy conversation with Ted, who'd been assigned to babysit her while her sisters were out. He'd held her hair as she vomited many of her meals back up; rubbed her back when she started to get abdominal cramps and muscle pains at the same time; used up quite a bit of his phone data to play The Neighbourhood very quietly for hours on end. Bella had been deeply surprised by how attentive and kind Ted was to her, after she had spent years snarking at him at every opportunity.

Narcissa and Andy had apparently arranged everything with St. Mungo's over the phone, while Bellatrix was deep in withdrawal and barely noticed their absence. Thus, Bella was able to check in at reception and immediately be taken to a room. Her bag of clothing had to be checked for _contraband_ – Bella had rolled her eyes at the receptionist's use of the word– and would be returned to her soon.

Her room was nice enough. It was larger than Narcissa's uni accommodation by a fair amount, and Bellatrix made sure to comment on that to her youngest sister, partially to take her own mind off the final waves of withdrawal but mostly just to watch Narcissa roll her eyes fondly.

Narcissa, Andromeda, and Ted were asked to leave not long after Bellatrix had gotten settled in, and they all hugged her tightly. _That_ was one mostly positive thing to come out of the entire overdose ordeal: the new closeness of Bella's relationship with Andy and Ted. Of course, the sisters had been close when they were younger, but they'd grown apart as they grew older. And Bella and Ted had never gotten along, not for Ted's lack of trying. But the fact that Andromeda and Ted had stayed by Bella's side while she was going through the worst part of her withdrawal, that Andromeda held her hand tightly and Ted kept ice on her forehead at all times, that neither of them left her unless it was absolutely necessary– that really changed Bella's perspective.

So, Bellatrix hugged them both _very_ tightly and gave them an honest-to-god smile as they left.

And then she slept straight through until dinner.

 

* * *

 

 

**_FIRST DAY OUT OF REHAB, TWO WEEKS AGO_ **

 

Rehab was patronizing and a certain amount of hellish. Withdrawal continued, though not as violently as it had in the hospital. However, Bellatrix would admit, she also caught up on sleep and learned some surprisingly helpful ways to keep off alcohol and drugs once she was out in the real world. And the doctors were nice. She'd admit that too.

Narcissa, Andromeda, and Ted visited as often as they were allowed while Bella was in rehab, and they all greeted her with hugs and Starbucks as soon as she was checked out. Ted threw Bella's bags into the back of his car while Andromeda signed her out, and Narcissa handed her a frappuccino as soon as they were on their way back to Bella's flat.

Someone had cleaned her flat up while she was gone. It was spotless when she returned, and no one took credit for it, so Bellatrix didn't ask.

Narcissa wanted to stay with Bella while she was in the early days of recovery, and it had taken the better part of the hour and a half drive to convince her that Bella would be perfectly fine on her own for the most part.

They ended up compromising. Andromeda and Narcissa would switch off on bringing Bella to her AA and NA meetings, and they'd check in on her with Skype and Facetime calls throughout the day. If Bella didn't pick up on one of those calls, then she'd get both Andy and Narcissa at her door to make sure she hadn't done anything stupid.

They all stayed with Bella for the first day, but they left her to her own devices. The three sisters and Ted ate Indian take out together around Bella's rarely used kitchen table, with Ted and Narcissa's idle chatter filling the silence nicely. They all went their separate ways after lunch: Narcissa declared the kitchen table her study space and used it to revise for her upcoming exams, Andy and Ted lounged on the couch, watching some mindless comedy on the TV, and Bella retreated to her room.

Bellatrix immediately went to the full length mirror in her closet and found that she barely recognized herself. Her jeans were tight; she'd gained some much needed weight while in rehab. She no longer sported purple bags under her eyes. There was more color in her cheeks. Her hair had gained some volume; her dark curls were neatly messy instead of the ratted chaos they had previously been. And her mind was calmer than it had been in years. Her anxiety had been through the roof in her first week at rehab, as she'd been told was a normal withdrawal symptom, and it had taken the entire rest of her stay there to calm down.

However, no matter how calm her mind had become, there still was that little voice in the back of her head. _Why couldn't you control yourself? Why were you so weak as to let the drugs control you, rather than you control them? Why did you need your sisters' help? Why couldn't you take care of yourself?_

Bella squeezed her eyes shut, shoved her hands through her hair, and exhaled sharply. Internally, she screamed at that annoying little voice to shut up.

Then, an idea hit her.

Bella let her arms drop back to her sides and shook them out to rid herself of her thoughts. She walked away from the mirror and dug her iPod and earbuds out from her bedside table. She then knelt down and retrieved the blank canvasses, paints, brushes, and palette which she kept under her bed, but had not touched in almost a year.

Bellatrix sat cross-legged on the soft carpet of her room, placed a canvas in front of her, and began to squeeze paint out of their little bottles and onto a palette. She hit shuffle and smiled when CHVRCHES began to softly stream into her ears. Finally, she picked up a large brush, dipped it into a random color, and felt more at ease the minute the deep blue hit the canvas.

Bella didn't even realize how much time had passed until she felt Narcissa's warm hand on her shoulder and looked up to find that the sun was close to setting and her stomach was growling.

Narcissa smiled brightly, not at Bellatrix but at Bella's painting. “The AA meeting starts in half an hour, and the NA one is directly after,” she said after a moment, her smile not wavering. “There's time to stop and get you something if we leave now.”

Bella nodded and stood, deciding to leave her art spread out on the floor so that she could continue to work when she returned. She found Andromeda in the doorway, her mouth half open in shock.

“What're you staring at?” Bellatrix asked, not unkindly, as she pulled a light sweater on over her tank top.

Andromeda's eyes shined, but she just smiled and shook her head. Narcissa answered for her.

“You're painting again, Bella.”

Bellatrix shrugged. “Yeah, it… clears my mind. Whatever. Can we get chips? I want chips.”

“We'll get whatever you like,” Andy replied, now staring at Bellatrix rather than at her painting, which had formed into a rather abstract version of the night sky, the Bellatrix star featuring prominently in the top right corner.

“Quit looking at me like that, you're freaking me out.” Bellatrix turned Andromeda around and lightly propelled her back into the main room.

Andromeda only laughed lightly. Bella couldn't help but join in.

 

* * *

 

**_PRESENT DAY_ **

 

Narcissa's ringtone, the chorus of “Royals” by Lorde, brought Bellatrix back to reality. The credits of Orphan Black played on the TV, and Bella realized that she'd missed the entire episode.

Narcissa stood when she answered the call and walked towards the large windows next to the couch.

“Yes, this is she” … “What?! What do you mean?” Her startled, shaking tone of voice caused Ted to turn the TV off. Everyone's attention turned to Narcissa. “Yes, okay, we'll be right there.” … “Yes, thank you. Goodbye.” She ended the call just as her phone slipped out of her hand and hit the wood floor with a _crack._

“There went your iPhone screen,” Sirius snorted.

Andromeda rushed to her sister and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Cissy, what's wrong?”

Narcissa looked up, her eyes like a doe caught in the headlights.

“Mother and father… they've both had heart attacks,” she reported quietly. “They're dead.”

Shocked silence was the immediate reply. Then, Sirius spoke up.

“So, do we mourn or celebrate or both?”

Almost against her will, Bella snorted. The boy had a sense of humor, she'd give him that.

“Sirius!” Andy rebuked with wide, angry eyes.

“He's got a point, Andy,” Bellatrix defended halfheartedly.

“They're our parents,” Andy replied.

“And they were fucking awful to all of us! Especially you, Andy!”

To get their attention, Narcissa shouted, “Girls!”

Andy and Bella fell silent.

“We have to go to the hospital to identify their bodies. And we'll have to plan their funerals.” Narcissa's pained expression made Bella immediately regret her apathy towards their parents deaths. She could probably blame shock, but she didn't want to lie. She'd never loved her parents, never particularly cared about them, and she was quite sure that the feeling was mutual. But that was a rant for another day.

Bellatrix stood and joined her sisters by the window. Soon, Ted made his way over, as well as Regulus and Sirius.

A united front, the three Black sisters stared out the window at the busy street below.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there we are then.
> 
> fear not, there will (probably??) be a sequel. i'm working on it, but i won't post it until i have a fair amount written.
> 
> thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed :)


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